Chile student learning her way around area

CHENEY — An exchange student from Santiago, Chile, is enjoying her time here and learning her way around.

Catalina Meneses, a 15-year old junior, is being hosted by local teacher Amye Ellsworth and Jake Andersen.

“I like to go around town with friends, since the town is really small,” she said. “It’s really fun … and I also like to go and visit Spokane, visiting all the museums, shops and parks.”

Meneses said she likes going to area likes; her favorite is one near Medical Lake, although she said she doesn’t know its name.

“That is one of my favorite things to do because we also don’t have lakes in Chile,” she said.

She said she goes there a lot and plans to visit Lake Coeur d’Alene in the near future.

Meneses also likes her time at Cheney High School, a place she says she feels welcome.

“There is a lot of friendly people and the teachers are really nice,” she said, noting she really learning French and participating in Key Club.

School is very different here, Meneses said.

“In my school, we all have uniforms,” she said. “So, that has been a really big change for me, like having to dress up every single day.

“We also, we don’t move from classroom to classroom, like we only have one classroom. Here, I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of new people, in Chile, it’s just like 30 people at once.”

She said the school day is a lot longer here than in Chile and “we have lunch a lot earlier.”

She said she feels like Washingtonians are a lot more outgoing than Chileans .

“A lot of people compliment me in school and in shops and I don’t get that in Chile,” she said. In Chile, “we are more quiet and reserved and everyone here is really outgoing, as I said, and talkative, and more, like, um … friendly, too.”

Meneses didn’t have high expectations coming here.

So, it’s been a nice surprise,” she said, adding she is really happy with her host family.

“That has been the best part – they have been amazing,” she said. “I have been, like, really surprised with that.”

Meneses also has a lot more friends here than she expected.

“I wasn’t expecting people to be so nice to me,” she said.

Although she talks a lot with her family, she misses home and misses her dog.

She said she had a nice small Thanksgiving dinner with her host dad’s family and played board games.

“The food was really good, I tried mashed potatoes and gravy with turkey,” she said. “And yeah, that was great.”

Regarding her upcoming Christmas break, she said: “I am going to travel to Seattle. So, I am really excited about that. I am really excited, too, because it is my birthday on Christmas.”

She said in comparison to Chile, “Christmas is really big around here.”

“Before coming here, the thing I wanted to gain the most is like, friendship and connections with people, because I have a big connection with my host parents, and now with friends,” she said.

One reason she wanted to be an exchange student is “to study in college, here in Washington.”

She said upon returning home, she will be spending time with her family and her pet and sharing her experience with others to encourage them to do an exchange.

“I encourage people to do an exchange because it’s a really good experience,” she said. “You learn a lot, and you grow a lot. And it’s really nice.”

When she returns, she will complete one more year of school.

In college, She also plans to major in English and become a screenwriter.

“I hope that I can have the money to come and study here in Washington again, and in Seattle, most likely.” she said.

Features reporter Sarah Stephens can be emailed at [email protected].